On-the-spot differentiated learning... for me
“Don’t bother showing her the book Ms. Colby, she doesn’t understand it anyway,” is the refrain of a half dozen of my students during a substitute teaching assignment in my favorite elementary school media center.
Earlier, as the children entered the library for reading enrichment, I sang, “Today it’s boys on the bench and girls on the floor” as their teacher approached me to let me know that she had a new student in her classroom that I had not met before, “Elaina, just came to us from Russia. She doesn’t speak English.”
With Elaina sitting quietly at my feet, I start my stories for the day. When I read to my young students I like to ask them questions about the illustrations, the characters, the setting; anything that will encourage them to interact with me, the story, and each other. This interface with my students helps me to understand who is easily following along with the words and who might need some extra help with reading and comprehension. (After class I usually give the teacher a brief account of the students’ experiences.) Elaina is impassive, not even looking at the book I am reading to the class. When I encourage Elaina to participate, the response I receive from the class surprises me, why have they given up on her so soon?
I realize I have exactly seventeen minutes to assess the situation, devise a solution, and act on it; all while engaging her twenty-five contemporaries present in my classroom with the lesson provided to me by mentor Media Specialist. What should I do? What CAN I do?
As I’m reading to the class, I’m thinking about my education coursework and the focus that was put on the diversity of students. We had discussed scenarios where a non-English speaking student is in your classroom and the adaptive measures that should be taken to facilitate a differentiated learning experience for that student. Of course in my short amount of time with Elaina, I know that I won’t be able to make the effort to find out about her culture, her literacy background, her family life at home; all of which her teacher will be able to achieve in the effort to set goals for Elaina’s English language learning. I am down to twelve minutes! I finish the story in my hand and reach for my ukulele.
Students at this media center know that when we wrap up the lesson and there is some extra time, I’ll play a few fun tunes for them to sing along with. My students’ favorite songs at this pre-Kindergarten through second grade school are “Down By the Bay”, “The Alphabet Song” (really fast and super slow), and “I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More”. We all know that music can be a universal language, but I have never actually witnessed this concept in action. Elaina’s blank stare changes to one of curiosity, then unexpected joy as she watches me play while listening to her singing classmates. I haven’t broken any language barrier, but for a short time as I watch Elaina clapping along with a smile on her face; I know that today I have helped her to connect with the other students in her class. They know and love these songs and are quite happy to see that she enjoys them too. I hope that at recess this afternoon Elaina is surrounded by her classmates and they all sing and dance to some of the songs we sang in the media center this morning. Hopefully, Elaina’s classmates understand that even if Elaina doesn’t know English (yet), in a nurturing environment, she will competently and happily interact with the lesson, her teacher, and the rest of the class.
Earlier, as the children entered the library for reading enrichment, I sang, “Today it’s boys on the bench and girls on the floor” as their teacher approached me to let me know that she had a new student in her classroom that I had not met before, “Elaina, just came to us from Russia. She doesn’t speak English.”
With Elaina sitting quietly at my feet, I start my stories for the day. When I read to my young students I like to ask them questions about the illustrations, the characters, the setting; anything that will encourage them to interact with me, the story, and each other. This interface with my students helps me to understand who is easily following along with the words and who might need some extra help with reading and comprehension. (After class I usually give the teacher a brief account of the students’ experiences.) Elaina is impassive, not even looking at the book I am reading to the class. When I encourage Elaina to participate, the response I receive from the class surprises me, why have they given up on her so soon?
I realize I have exactly seventeen minutes to assess the situation, devise a solution, and act on it; all while engaging her twenty-five contemporaries present in my classroom with the lesson provided to me by mentor Media Specialist. What should I do? What CAN I do?
As I’m reading to the class, I’m thinking about my education coursework and the focus that was put on the diversity of students. We had discussed scenarios where a non-English speaking student is in your classroom and the adaptive measures that should be taken to facilitate a differentiated learning experience for that student. Of course in my short amount of time with Elaina, I know that I won’t be able to make the effort to find out about her culture, her literacy background, her family life at home; all of which her teacher will be able to achieve in the effort to set goals for Elaina’s English language learning. I am down to twelve minutes! I finish the story in my hand and reach for my ukulele.
Students at this media center know that when we wrap up the lesson and there is some extra time, I’ll play a few fun tunes for them to sing along with. My students’ favorite songs at this pre-Kindergarten through second grade school are “Down By the Bay”, “The Alphabet Song” (really fast and super slow), and “I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More”. We all know that music can be a universal language, but I have never actually witnessed this concept in action. Elaina’s blank stare changes to one of curiosity, then unexpected joy as she watches me play while listening to her singing classmates. I haven’t broken any language barrier, but for a short time as I watch Elaina clapping along with a smile on her face; I know that today I have helped her to connect with the other students in her class. They know and love these songs and are quite happy to see that she enjoys them too. I hope that at recess this afternoon Elaina is surrounded by her classmates and they all sing and dance to some of the songs we sang in the media center this morning. Hopefully, Elaina’s classmates understand that even if Elaina doesn’t know English (yet), in a nurturing environment, she will competently and happily interact with the lesson, her teacher, and the rest of the class.